Humana Foundation Creates WKU Visiting Professorship In Memory Of Co-Founder Wendell Cherry

September 02, 2003

Bowling Green, Ky. - A gift from The Humana Foundation of Louisville, Ky., will be used to create a visiting professorship in business leadership and ethics at Western Kentucky University in memory of Wendell Cherry, the co-founder of Humana Inc. Cherry spent 30 years as the company's president and chief operating officer prior to his death in 1991.

According to WKU President Gary Ransdell, the "Wendell Cherry Visiting Professorship in Business Leadership and Ethics" will be created through a gift of $250,000 from The Humana Foundation. This gift will be matched by $250,000 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Regional University Excellence Trust Fund to create a total professorship fund of $500,000.

"We are extremely grateful that The Humana Foundation has chosen to support Western in such a generous way," said Dr. Ransdell. "Such innovative gifts are essential in preparing competent graduates and leaders with high ethical standards who seek to create new or expand existing business organizations and bring new ideas for business development to Kentucky."

Dr. Ransdell said this gift will enable the Gordon Ford College of Business and WKU to provide annual programs in business leadership and ethics for students, faculty and members of the business community.

"Funds from the endowment will also be used for the continuing improvement of the Gordon Ford College and its quest to foster entrepreneurship and leadership among business graduates and faculty," he said. "The encouragement of personal character and professional leadership with integrity will be enhanced through the use of these endowment funds."

Tom Hiles, WKU's vice president for Institutional Advancement, said, "We are very appreciative of Humana's support, as it signals Western's intention to become a leader in the study of leadership."

David A. Jones, chairman of Humana Inc. and The Humana Foundation, said the organization is honored to make this gift in memory of Cherry.

"Wendell Cherry was a near neighbor to WKU growing up in Horse Cave, Ky., where he played basketball for a Caverna team that reached the semifinals of the 1953 state tournament," he said. "His parents instilled in him the work ethic, sense of purpose and bedrock integrity with which he lived his life. He was a consummate entrepreneur whose life proved that ethical behavior is an essential element of a truly successful enterprise."

For more information, contact Tom Hiles at (270) 745-6208. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

-WKU-